


Hours and Hours of Energy

by Bethofbells



Category: The Mindy Project
Genre: F/M, Smut, dcimpt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-10
Updated: 2014-07-12
Packaged: 2018-02-08 08:11:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1933440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bethofbells/pseuds/Bethofbells
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Danny is Mindy's personal trainer, but she's losing the motivation to work out, she just needs a little boost.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Body by Dan

**A/N: one of my favorite lines on the show is Danny's "How many hours of energy did you drink?" and it always makes me wonder if he's had to deal with Mindy hyped up on too many energy drinks, :P... so, in the vein of my last one shot thingie, I'm taking another moment pre-relationship and escalating it to... well smut, sorry not sorry. This one will take two chapters though :P.**

Danny picked up his pace, his gym bag bumping against his side as he jogged down the sidewalk toward Mindy's building, the faint glow of dawn just on the horizon. Cold morning air buffeted his face, and he was grateful for the beanie pulled down over his ears. They were supposed to meet at the gym, but she'd been late the past couple mornings, probably lollygagging in front of the mirror. He'd have none of that, Body by Dan was serious business.

He could feel the heat building in him, a radiating cushion of warmth just beneath layers of clothing as he loped along, his soles slapping the pavement in an even tempo. A fine sheen of perspiration like mist chilled as the air hit it. Maybe he could get her to jog to the gym with him. It would be a great warmup, get the muscles loose and pliable, they could move straight to free weights.

One corner of his mouth twitched up, his eyes crinkling as he thought about putting her through the wringer. This was definitely a dynamic he could get used to, bossing her around. Not that she listened all that well, not curling the weights exactly like he told her, making it necessary for him to press up close behind her, aligning his arms with hers as he demonstrated. He'd never known what a gift yoga pants could be, the material clinging to her as she stretched, touching her toes quickly before popping back up. He'd almost been caught checking her out in the mirror.

It was cute, too, the enthusiasm with which she'd thrown herself into working out in the beginning. Granted, it was an enthusiasm garnered by the opportunity to buy a ton of new workout clothes, but her high energy level when they started out in the morning was contagious. He could actually feel his heart rate pick up when she burst through the dingy doors of the gym, practically vibrating with boundless excitement.

The first ten minutes of each session always went amazingly well, so well that he was always mistakenly lulled into a false sense of success. She'd jump rope like a trooper, get her blood to pumping, a distinct glow enveloping her skin as the blood rushed to the surface, the rope tapping against the floor mat as she panted out the words some children's song. The little gusts of air rushing out at uneven intervals twisted his gut into knots, setting his own breathing on a thready rhythm.

As long as he'd known her, he'd never seen her in this kind of environment, physical exertion pushing her body to it's limits, a pleasant exhaustion blanketing her when they were finished. She'd lie spent on the floor, panting up at the ceiling, and a part of him he couldn't control would wonder if this was what it was like for her after sex, the blood still pumping through her veins as her eyes glazed over… Danny could feel his own blood coursing through his limbs as he approached her building, a shortness of breath overtaking him that had nothing to do with his physical exertions. His wayward thoughts getting the better of him for a moment, he stopped just at her stoop to take a deep and cleansing breath before he slipped into the building.

Knowing that she was doing this for some other guy, Cliff damn Gilbert, didn't tame his wild thoughts one bit, in fact, it may have multiplied them. When she patted the sweat away from her glistening skin, complaining about Danny's "nazi-like" regimen (dramatic much?), he itched to lunge forward and yank the towel from her hands before replacing it with his mouth, to feel the dark heat as her pulse fluttered against his lips. He pushed those feelings down, something he had practice doing. But, like most things he hid away, they were residing just below the surface, ready to rear their ugly heads at any given moment.

He sighed as the elevator ascended to her floor. He'd taken more than a few cold showers since he'd become Mindy's trainer, and had still come perilously close to taking matters into his own hands, something he hadn't done since he was a teen (alright, so maybe he'd done it when he was living in Jersey, but that was a whole different story). He was accosted with images of her late at night, deep into his dream cycles, when it felt so real he could smell her lemon shampoo, taste the bitter lotion on her skin. Just this morning he'd woken up panting, hard as a rock beneath the covers, a huge groan of disappointment echoing through his apartment, resigning himself to yet another cold shower.

He flexed his hands as he watched the numbers light up, willing away the sudden desire coursing through him. Think of baseball, Derek Jeter's swing, the Red Sox never winning another world series ever again. Don't think about the overtly sexual grunts she makes between complaints when on the weight bench. Especially don't think about the way she leans heavily on you on the subway ride home, resting her head gently on your shoulder. The words echoed through his head, an oft repeated mantra. He released a slow breath. His methods were frustratingly ineffective.

The elevator came to a jerky halt and he strode out into the hallway, pushing away the images that set desire stirring in the pit of his stomach, an inexplicably hollow feeling in his chest. He knocked on her door, fully prepared to beat on the thing until she woke up. Every morning this week she'd arrived later and later, her initial enthusiasm seemed to be waning. He wouldn't be surprised if she hadn't even gotten up yet. He started to call out her name, but he barely got out the first syllable before door swung open, and there she was, standing unnecessarily close to him. Her bare toes poked out from beneath her pajamas, actually bumping against the tips of his sneakers.

Her eyes were wide, the pupils strangely dilated as she bounced on her heels in front of him. "Danny! What are you doing here?" The words were spoken hastily, running all together. She didn't wait for an answer. "I'm not ready yet, but you can totally wait while I find my fatsteps. I know they're in my closet somewhere, but like, do you have any idea how hard it is to find one pair of shoes in an ultra-deluxe expanded closet? Like a needle in a haystack." She was talking a million miles an hour, gesturing erratically. She whirled around without waiting for him to answer and strode toward her room. He followed her, a concerned look spreading across his face.

"Min-"

She cut him off, calling out from her closet. "Did you know this used to be a spare bedroom? I totally devalued this place by turning it into a walk in closet and connecting it to my room." She giggled unexpectedly as she dug through a precariously piled mountain of shoes. "Shhh… Don't tell my landlord!"

Danny's eyebrows furrowed. Something was… off about Mindy this morning. He couldn't quite put a finger on it, but it was starting to scare him. "Mindy, what's-"

She cut him off yet again, chattering away about the usefulness of shoe shelves. "You know, I think I could make one myself. There was this one on pinterest someone made with really big pieces of PVC pipe, whatever that is."

"Mindy, are-"

She ignored him. "I think you'd have to go to the hardware store with me to buy it though, because I'd totally get taken advantage of there, financially and sexually. Did you know-"

This time it was Danny who stemmed the flow of rapid speech. He reached down and grabbed her shoulders, a little roughly, and pulled her to her feet. She blinked a couple times, trying to process why Danny's sweaty palms were bunching the cashmere at her shoulders. Her eyes darted rapidly back and forth, unable to settle on any particular facial feature.

Danny peered at her closely, noting her rapid breath, her skittering pulse jumping at her throat. He released her shoulders, moving his hands to her face, holding her still so he could really look at her. Her pupils were definitely dilated. He frowned, his jaw clenching tightly for a second before he released a long huff. "Damn it, Mindy, I told you to throw away those Korean diet pills you bought on Craigslist. Are you kidding me with this? I don't even-"

She jumped in, a maniacal smile gracing her features. "No, Danny, of course not. All I did was drink a teeny tiny _natural_ supplement, or three, and I've never felt more alive." She grabbed his hand and dragged it away from her face, resting it on the soft material covering her sternum. He could feel her heart pounding away underneath his palm, her chest rising and falling with quick little breaths, the only barrier keeping him from her skin softly slipping under his fingers. "See, my heart is like… racing."

She lifted up on her toes, rising to meet his scrutiny eye-to-eye, the motion pressing her up against him. He suppressed a groan, struggling to breathe evenly himself. "Mindy, there's nothing _natural_ about a resting heart rate this high, or about hugely dilated pupils. You're a doctor, don't play dumb."

He thought that would set her back up, trigger an annoyed little frown and cause her to draw away from him, but she just smiled even more, reaching her hand up to his face. His breath stilled, anticipating a soft caress. He was instantly sucked out of the moment when she affectionately pinched his cheek, gently tugging his face back and forth. "Oh, Danny, you're so cute worrying about me. You're good to have around."

His eyes widened, an unexpected warmth blooming in his chest, creeping up his neck. Was he blushing? Her oddly affectionate tone caught him by surprise. She was high on… well, god knows what, but she definitely wasn't behaving normally. He tilted his head away from her grasp. Pushing her arms back down to her sides, he held her at arm's length. She shrugged and twisted out of his grasp, snatching up her fatsteps before she bounced out into her bedroom.

Danny followed close behind, observing her carefully. She flitted around her room erratically, plucking different articles of clothing from overflowing drawers. She tossed it all on the bed and hooked her fingers underneath the hem of her sweater, pulling it over her head in one swift motion before shimmying off her pajama bottoms. Hooking her toe in the soft fabric, she slung it toward an alarmingly high pile of dirty laundry.

She covered her breasts with one arm, looking back at him over her shoulder. "Danny, could you hand me my sports bra? It's hanging on the doorknob."

He was frozen, a tiny almost inaudible voice in his head told him to turn away, to raise a sweaty palm and cover his eyes, but he couldn't. His fingertips tingled with a burning curiosity to know just exactly what texture they'd find on her nut brown skin. Sure, he'd felt the weight of her breast in his hand once before, the soft as velvet skin juxtaposed against the involuntarily pebbled texture of her areola, but that was before he'd been afflicted with this ever present attraction.

His eyes roved over her, lingering on the leopard print boy shorts accentuating the curve of her ass, the swell of her breast peeking over one arm as she turned toward him. His eyes devoured her, a dry-mouthed lust pulsing through him. "Hello, earth to Danny… bra?" She bounced on her heels impatiently, the motion setting her hair cascading across the bare expanse of her back.

He gesticulated toward her, arms flying out. "What the hell, Mindy? You can't just undress in front of random people!" He felt a growl rumbling in his chest. "I'm sure Cliff wouldn't appreciate that." He spun around before she could answer, missing the flash of sadness swiftly chasing across her face as he stomped out of the room.

He jerked the beanie off his head, feeling entirely too overheated, twisting the hat in his hands. It was wrong to feel this way about someone who was unavailable. He knew he couldn't storm back in there, finally allow himself the relief of running his hands over her skin, sigh into the hollow of her neck as the want finally receded.

He tried to focus on something else. Her troubling physical state came back to mind, and he slipped into her kitchen, opening cabinets, hoping to find these 'supplements' she was talking about and throw them away. He methodically searched through the shelves, frowning at her bare pantry and nearly empty fridge.

Struck by sudden inspiration he went to the trash can. Flipping the lid up, he was greeted by the sight of three tiny little neon bottles resting on top of last night's take out boxes. He carefully plucked them out, peering down at them. Six hour effect… five hour energy… six hour power… What the hell were these? He squinted, trying in vain to read the fine print.

"... and it's not like it's any of Cliff's concern." She marched into the kitchen, mid dramatic speech, when she noticed Danny clutching the bottles. "Oh my God, nosy, get out of my trash!" She knocked the bottles out of his hand back into the bin.

"Mindy, there's like seventeen hours of energy there, that can't be healthy."

"That's obviously not how it works. It's not cumulative."

"Well, it's definitely not _natural._ "

"What are you talking about? Caffeine occurs in nature, so does B12… just maybe, not in those doses." She raised her hand to punctuate her point, focusing for the first time on her trembling fingers. Shit. "Maybe I overdid it a little."

She frowned, shifting her weight from one foot to the other, unable to still the jittery movements. "Oh my God, Danny, what if I die? What if my heart explodes from too much caffeine, or some other unregulated substance hidden within those demon bottles? _They're not FDA approved Danny!_ " Panic tinged her voice. Lunging forward, she fisted the soft cotton of his t-shirt. "Don't let me die."

"Whoa, relax." He guided her back to the kitchen island, pulling out a stool to sit on. "Deep breaths, Lahiri."

He reached up, placing two fingers over the pulse at her neck to time her heartbeats. He swallowed, feeling his own heart knock against his ribcage. She was warm beneath his touch, her shaky breaths slowing a bit as she calmed down. She was fine, really, a little too much stimulant coursing through her veins, but nothing that wouldn't filter out of her system in a few hours. He couldn't pull away, slipping his hand further down her neck, his wayward fingers tracing along the edge of her collarbone.

Danny frowned. "Wait… what do you mean it's not any of Cliff's concern if you undress in front of other people?"


	2. Cardio at Home

**A/N: and here's the second and final chapter. As always, I really really appreciate comments and reviews, they make my day. Enjoy!**

She didn't notice his wandering touch, her weird caffeine induced high sending a million thoughts racing through her head, thoughts she'd been trying to avoid all week. She dropped her gaze, her rapidly beating heart quickening all of her typical physical reactions, embarrassment coloring her features, her foot tapping nervously against the stool she mumbled something, her voice low.

"What?"

Danny was staring at her, a soft expression in his eyes that she'd come to associate with a feeling of weightlessness. Her pulse skittered out of control again, for the first time noticing his gentle touch on her skin. He tenderly slipped one hand underneath her chin and drew her eyes back to him. How could someone infuse a look with so much concern? She cleared her throat, finding a surprising thickness there. "We're sort of… on a break?"

Her voice pitched up on the last syllable, turning the statement into a shaky question. She was kind of mortified, applying such a juvenile term to her relationship. When was she going to get her shit together? Women in their thirties didn't have time for breaks.

"A break?" Danny was disgusted, unable to hide it, his lip curling up in an irritated snarl. "What did the jerk do?"

Confusion swept over her. "What? Cliff didn't do anything… not really. He said…" She stopped, unsure of whether or not she should divulge the details of such a private conversation. But this was Danny, her best friend. It's not like she had anyone else to talk this out with.

It wasn't her fault that this particular conversation had the potential to get seriously uncomfortable… well maybe it was a _little_ her fault. "He said I wasn't 'all-in,' which, I didn't really know what he was talking about, but Google was extremely helpful, and it turns out he was using commonly used poker-slang, and apparently he didn't think I would bet on us, which now that I think about it, maybe he was right, I'm terrible at gambling."

She was rambling, the words crashing together as she spoke without breaths, but she couldn't stop, the hours of energy making it hard to focus. "And he kept referring to my 'baggage,' like he thought there was someone else, and to be honest, he was kind of right, but also really wrong."

"What?" Danny looked at her intensely, his eyes boring into with a heat she'd never experienced, silently willing her to stop speaking in riddles.

Mindy closed her eyes, breathing deeply, memories from the past few weeks filling her up. Spending so much time with Danny at the gym had been… enlightening. First of all, no one could deny Daniel Castellano filled out a t-shirt quite nicely. Sure, he wasn't a six foot tall GQ model, but damn if he didn't work with what he had. She knew it, he knew it, the girl who sold bagels down the street knew it. But it's not like that was anything new, she'd ogled Danny in a t-shirt plenty of times before, and she'd never been left feeling breathless, her skin flushed, an insatiable desire to wrap her fingers around his biceps suddenly overwhelming her.

Being physically attracted to Danny Castellano shouldn't have been enough to derail her relationship with Cliff, not by itself, and it wasn't. She spent an inordinate amount of time talking to Danny, more than ever before, in an effort to distract him from his workout plans. It rarely worked, but they'd traded dozens of stories, childhood anecdotes, rants about the state of the New York City subway system.

And she'd been a little… absent when she was actually trying to spend time with Cliff. He'd even confronted her about it, accusing her of checking out. He'd said, "I get it. I mean, I've seen it so many times with my clients. There's someone else, isn't there?"

The question had hit her like a ton of bricks, an inescapable 'yes' bubbling up from deep inside. It had shocked her. She didn't know what she felt for Danny, but she did know he was where her mind went, when she was listening to one of Cliff's boring stories. She'd been dangerously close to admitting she was developing feelings for someone else, but he'd interrupted her accusing her of still being in love with Casey, which had totally thrown her for a loop. So she'd vehemently denied everything, attempting to placate him. "No baby, of course not."

The final straw had been last week. She'd just gotten home from the gym, a quick trip after work with Danny, before hitting the subway home. She was sweaty and tired, heading straight for the shower, absolutely _not_ in the mood to get frisky. Cliff had shown up almost immediately, striding confidently into her apartment as soon as she'd opened the door. He pressed her up against the wall, kissing as his hands slipped over her.

She hadn't feel the spark, the pulsing between her legs when his tongue darted into her mouth. She'd begged off, citing her exhaustion as a plausible cause for disinterest, and she'd genuinely believed it at the time.

But hours later, freshly showered, still exhausted and sore, she immediately drifted off to sleep, only to have the most salacious dream of her life… involving Danny. She'd woken up on the cusp of climaxing, her panting breaths harsh enough to wake Cliff sleeping beside her. He'd eagerly rolled into her, slipping his hand between her legs, his eyes had widened at her obvious arousal. Then she'd done something that set shame coursing through her every time she thought about it. She'd climbed on top of Cliff, closing her eyes and replaying the scenes from her dream over and over again until she'd shattered, squeezing her eyes shut. It hadn't been Cliff's names perched on her lips.

She'd halted things the next morning, telling Cliff she needed a break, yes like Ross and Rachel, to sort out things, all the while dreading the next time she saw Danny. She'd barely been able to look him in the when she'd strode into the gym half an hour late.

And now, she was sitting here, a hundred humming birds flapping away in her chest as he stared at her, genuine concern lining his features. This is what she'd been afraid of, bearing the full force of his gaze, her blood heating up under that scrutiny before it rushed through her body. The energy drinks had been a bad idea, something she thought would distract her, make her throw herself into her workout, but instead they just magnified every physiological reaction she had.

He waited, his mouth parted slightly, his question still hanging in the air between them. Had his lips always been that… edible? Suddenly it was all she could think about, running her tongue along her own bottom lip, comparing its texture to the feeling she'd dreamt of. Her hands still shook, a slight vibration every time her heart beat, she was incapable of sitting still.

Danny let out an anxious sigh, slowly withdrawing the heat of his hand from her skin. She whimpered, the sound coming out before she even knew it was there, his name a sigh on the tail end. She rocketed off the stool, completely overestimating the force necessary to bring herself upright. She barreled into him, her arms winding tightly around his neck as she latched onto his lips. Those damn pouty lips, yielding immediately under her enthusiasm.

He rocked on his heels, taking a moment to find his balance again before his arms banded at her waist, pulling her to him tightly. He hitched her legs up around his waist, the muscles in his arms straining with the action. She moaned into him, feeling his strong hands squeeze her ass. She gyrated against him, locking her ankles.

He thought briefly about stopping, giving her a second to realize exactly what she was doing, but he pushed away the thoughts, instead focusing on whether or not he should move this to her bedroom, or settle for tumbling on the couch. He released her lips, gulping a huge breath.

Without hesitation her unoccupied lips moved to his neck, leaving a hot trail of kisses up to the hollow beneath his ear. He groaned. The couch, decision made.

They landed with twin 'oomphs' on the loveseat, Danny resting comfortably between her legs, his weight pressing her down into the soft cushions. She impatiently fumbled with the buttons on his shirt. She was far too wound up to be of any use, grunting in frustration she resorted to just tugging at the hem fruitlessly while her mouth sought out his lips. Danny pulled back, jerking the shirt up and over his head. She sighed in contentment as her fingers traced along his rib cage. Her eyes were unfocused, the soft haze of arousal clouding them. This was the point of no return for Danny, and he frantically pulled at their clothes. It wasn't graceful or romantic, but surely there would be time for that later. If Mindy had anything to say about it, this would _not_ be a one time thing. Hell, if she had her way, it wouldn't even be a _one_ time thing today.

He kneaded at her through the stretchy fabric of her tank top, slipping his hands beneath the material, hooking his fingers beneath her bra, impatiently sweeping across her nipples, relishing the instantaneous transformation beneath his touch. Unexpected laughter rumbled through his chest. It was as though he just realized what was happening here. The relief he felt was overwhelming, the constant fear of losing her for good, temporarily abating.

He yanked the bra and tank over her head, static electricity crackling in her hair, he buried his nose in it, inhaling deeply as he planted kisses along her neck. She arched her back, flattening her breasts against his chest, finally getting the skin to skin contact she craved every time she saw his sweat soaked shirt clinging to him in the gym. She raked her fingernails along his back, memorizing each muscular ridge, the slight hollow at the base of his spine.

She whined impatiently when her fingers met the slick nylon material of his jogging pants. "Take off your pants." He voice was raspy with arousal, coming out breathily.

He complied almost immediately, withdrawing from her briefly to shuck off the offending garment. "And you." He peeled off her yoga pants, marveling at every inch of skin he exposed, his lips testing the texture along the way. When his hands finally found their way between her legs, a trail of fire left by his fingertips, she cried out in anticipation.

Her wait was short, his graceful fingers slipping inside of her, the wet heat making the muscles in his abdomen jump, he stifled a grunting moan. The pad of his thumb found her swollen clit, sweeping across it tentatively at first, as he curved his fingers inside of her, searching at a forty five degree angle for the right spot to set her off. There. She threw her head back against the cushions, eyes rolling back before she squeezed them shut.

Danny wanted to draw this out for her, give her every ounce of pleasure he possible could. He wanted to see her features contorted with bliss, hear the strangled animalistic growls echo deep within her throat as she was pushed over the edge. But this moment was a culmination of so many nights spent alone thinking about her, dreaming of her wrapping her arms and legs around him while he fell apart. He didn't have the patience for much more of this one sided pace.

He needn't have worried. The stimulants zipping through her veins heightened her arousal unexpectedly, every touch against her skin sending a zing of pleasure straight to her core. Within seconds she was snatching up one of her throw pillows, holding it against her face to muffle her inelegant yell.

Danny snatched the pillow away with his free hand, capturing her lips with his own, he drank in her moans, relishing the feel of her chest bumping against his as she panted out the last of her pleasure. Her eyes focused once more as she slowly regained a somewhat normal breathing pattern. She smiled at Danny, shyly looking at him through the screen of her eyelashes.

The full reality of what had just happened settled over her. Danny freaking Castellano had just sent her spiraling into an abyss of pleasure in the time it took to microwave a bag of popcorn. A giggle erupted from her, and she awkwardly wiggled out from under him, attempting to shift their positions.

She didn't have a history of being particularly graceful in the heat of the moment, and this was no different. Her legs tangled between his, and with one final shove they both tumbled off the too small loveseat into the floor. Her plush area rug offered little cushion, and Mindy landed squarely on top of Danny, her giggles erupting into full blown laughter as her legs straddled his hips.

Her gasping amusement was contagious, the laughter vibrating through her entire body. She leaned down, lighting kisses down on his face, unable to focus on any particular spot. She caught the corners of his mouth, his nose, eyelids. Her hands mimicked the motion of her lips, flitting at random across his body, skimming her fingers across his chest, stopping to lightly drag her nails across his nipples, before dipping down and tracing his navel.

Her attentions were so unfocused, Danny grunted with impatience, rolling his hips beneath her, his erection pressing eagerly up against her abdomen when she leaned down to drop kisses in the hollow of his neck. She still didn't catch his meaning.

Finally, the last of his patience slipping through his fingers, Danny reached up and bracketed her waist with his hands, swiftly reversing their positions, pinning her to the floor, her hair splayed out across the fluffy rug. Her eyes widened, the laughter leaving them, for a moment replaced by dark desire. "Danny…"

She was pleading with him, her first climax now a distant memory, the heat building in her yet again. Her hands traveled up and down his back, this time slipping down to his glutes unimpeded. She dug her fingernails into the taut flesh, biting her bottom lip as he sucked in a sharp breath. She urged him forward, lifting her hips off the floor, the earth shaking a little when he finally drove into her.

Her buzzing thoughts, for the first time all morning, suddenly coalesced, resulting in a strange clarity as Danny rose and fell over her, thrusting in at the perfect angle. She could feel it coming, thunder off in the distance, the echo of which made her impatient. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on bringing the thunder closer.

She planted the soles of her feet on the floor, rising to meet him with each thrust, gasping out his name between desperate kisses. She drank him in while she could, her erratic pants eventually becoming too much, the sounds she made turning into an inarticulate otherworldly language. Her head fell back and he buried his face in her neck, running his teeth along her jumping pulse as he ground against her, tapping out a primal rhythm against her clit.

Finally, finally, finally. The thunder enveloped her in deafening booms, the muscles in her abdomen clenching as she rose off the floor one last time, a long drawn out groan escaping her lips as she struggled to hold onto him.

Feeling her unravel beneath him, her cries fading away in his ear, the muscles surrounding him clenching and unclenching over and over, he was gone. He knew he'd crossed that point of no return, the pleasure washing over him a foregone conclusion. He thrust into her once, twice, three times more, before letting out his own involuntary yell, her name echoing against the walls of her apartment.

He floated back down to earth slowly, meandering like a feather caught on a spiraling thermal. There was a tiny part of him that thought maybe this was just another dream, one that had gone farther than any of the other, but still, a dream nonetheless.

Resting his weight on one forearm, Danny reached over, threading his fingers through her hair as he traced small circles on her cheek with his thumb. He looked at her for a moment, taking in her glowing skin and lambent eyes. He swallowed the words swimming inside of him, afraid that he might be getting caught up in something dangerous. He let out a long sigh. "So… ready to hit the gym now?"

Her mouth rounded into a shocked little 'oh.' "Are you kidding me? You _still_ want to go to the gym?"

Laughter rumbled through his chest. "You're not getting out of it that easy, Lahiri."

She wrapped her legs around him, drawing him closer to her. "I think there are some.. cardio exercises we could do right here."

Maybe she was getting out of it that easy.


End file.
